| Microsoft Bob | |
|---|---|
 A picture of the Microsoft Bob start up screen. |
|
| Developer | Microsoft |
| OS | Windows 3.1 and 95 |
| Status | Discontinued |
| Genre | GUI |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | none |
Microsoft Bob was a Microsoft software product, released in March 1995, which provided a new, nontechnical interface to desktop computing operations. Despite its ambitious nature, Bob failed to penetrate the market and was one of Microsoft’s more visible product failures. Microsoft's Steve Ballmer named Bob as one project "we [had] undertaken ... where we decided that we have not succeeded and let's stop."[1]
Contents |
Origins
Microsoft Bob, designed for Windows 3.1x and Windows 95, was intended to be a user-friendly interface for Microsoft Windows, replacing the Program Manager. At one point, the project was managed by Melinda French, who at the time was Bill Gates' girlfriend (the two later married).[2] At the time French left Microsoft, she was Product Unit Manager for a group which included Bob and three other Microsoft titles. The project leader for Bob was Karen Fries, a Microsoft researcher. Microsoft originally owned the domain name bob.com, but traded it to Bob Kerstein for the windows2000.com domain.[3]
Features
Bob included various office suite programs such as a finance application, and a word processor. The user interface was designed to be helpful to novice computer users, but many saw its methods of assistance as too cute and involved. Each action, such as creating a new text document, featured the step-by-step tutorials no matter how many times the user had been through the process; some users considered this to be condescending. Users were assisted by cartoon characters whose appearance was usually vaguely related to the task. These characteristics earned Bob the 7th place in PC World Magazine's list of the 25 worst products of all time [4] and worst product of the decade by CNET.com.[5]
Cartoon guides
Bob featured a diverse selection of "guides", representing an early form of the Office Assistant and Microsoft Agent technologies. Each guide possessed its own unique "personality" and had its own array of animations. The guides annoyed some critics of Microsoft Bob.[4]
- Rover, the yellow dog
- Baudelaire, a gargoyle from a gothic cathedral
- Blythe, a firefly from New York City
- Chaos, a fluffy cat from France
- Digger, an Irish earthworm
- Hopper, a blue stuffed bunny rabbit
- Java, a coffee-drinking dragon from Guatemala
- Ruby, a parrot
- Shelly, a turtle that wears a backpack and carries a walking stick
- Scuzz, a guitar-playing rat from Peoria, Illinois
- Speaker, a black computer speaker
- Will, a cartoon of William Shakespeare
- The Dot, a red ball
Legacy
Despite being discontinued before Windows 98 was released, Microsoft Bob continued to be widely panned in reviews and popular media.[6] Some designs of the Bob cartoons are still used in other Microsoft products:
- Bob's face is used in Windows Live Messenger as a "Nerd Smiley"
- Will and The Dot are now Office Assistants (Will was only in Office 97).
- The yellow dog "Rover" can be found in the search function of Windows XP
- Rover's animations (like typing on a computer) inspired the Office Assistant "Rex"
- Rover appears in the Microsoft program Greetings Workshop.
See also
References
- ^ Cowley, Stacy. "Ballmer Analyzes Microsoft's 'One Big' Vista Mistake", CRN.com, 2006-07-31. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
- ^ Newman, Michael. "Bob is dead; long live Bob", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1999-05-23. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
- ^ Lea, Graham. "Windows2000.com owner sells domain to Microsoft", The Register, 1999-11-11. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
- ^ a b Tynan, Dan (2006-03-26). The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time. PC World Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-03-14.
- ^ Merritt, Tom (2007-04-30). TCNET Top 5: Worst products in a decade. CNET TV. Retrieved on 2007-09-21.
- ^ Dvorak, John C. (2004-08-16). The Bottom 10: Worst Software Disasters. PC World Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-09-21.
External links
- Microsoft Bob Review
- Information about Microsoft Bob version 1.0 for Windows
- The GUI Gallery: Microsoft Bob' Examining Bob in the context of other graphical user interfaces
- A short computing history (story and slideshow) of Bobs from Microsoft Bob to Bob Metcalfe to Alice & Bob.
- Microsoft Bob
- Abandonware website about Bob and other obsolete titles
- Youtube Video
